I Want You to Be With Me Forever!
by Jusenkyo Guide
Summary: Taking place in the fourth year after Belldandy arrived Morisato Keiichi has finally worked up the nerve to ask for her hand in marriage, but he is about to find out that asking is but the first step on a long, hard road.


Jusenkyo Productions Proudly Presents  
An Ah! My Goddess Fan Fiction  
I Want You to Be With Me Forever!

Disclaimer: Aa Megumisama is owned by Fujishima-sensei, KC Publishing, AIC, and TBS (Japan), Dark Horse Comics, AnimEigo, Media Blasters, and Geneon (US). I own nothing of the above, except for a whole lot of AMG manga and a few DVDs. I ask for forgiveness from the goddesses for the use.

Part 1, Ah! Making a Wish for Happiness

It had taken him five months to do it. Five months of hard, sometimes back breaking, labor. Five months of making arrangements for extra work, and making arrangements to sneak it through as to not arouse suspicions. Five months of living in mortal terror of being found out.

Morisato Keiichi shuddered at the idea of what would have happened had that occurred. Urd would have teased him, Skuld would have used him to test new bombs, and Belldandy... Well, best not think about how Belldandy would have reacted had she found out about his plan.

But, five months later he had completed his last extra job. Chihiro had made an overly enthusiastic co-conspirator, but she was more than willing to help him, including scheduling a 'part' run for him today while keeping Belldandy at Whirlwind.

"Morisato-kun," she said, "I need you to go pick up a special part in Tokyo today. It's been on order and FINALLY came in," Chihiro finished with a very amused gleam in her eye and holding up a creamy white envelope.

Keiichi carefully put down the tools he had been using and nodded, "Ok, I'll go now," he said, recognizing the envelope for what it was; a special part indeed.

In the back of the shop, Belldandy heard the exchange and came forward, "I'll get ready to go, Keiichi-san," she said, turning towards the changing room.

Keiichi panicked momentarily, "Er..."

But Chihiro had beaten him to the punch, tossing a friendly arm across Belldandy's shoulders, she said, "Don't worry about it, Bell-chan. Let Morisato-kun handle it himself. I need you here to help me with a few things in the shop."

"But..." the goddess started.

Chihiro grinned, "Besides, we can have a girl talk session," she mock whispered, "You can give me all the dirt on Morisato-kun."

Belldandy looked confused and Keiichi groaned, but he quickly went and changed out of his shop clothes. He was heading out the door when Chihiro had called out to him again, "Morisato-kun!"

Turing, he saw Chihiro waving the envelope, "Don't forget the order!"

Grinning slightly bashfully, Keiichi took the envelope and carefully tucked it into a pocket, making sure not to crumple it. "Thank you, Chihiro-san," said; then quickly left the shop after saying goodbye to Belldandy before something else could happen.

Now with the order in his jacket pocket, he stood in front of a narrow building on the Ginza in Tokyo. The building was, compared with the high fashion stores on either side, rather plain. 5 stories tall and dark brown in color, it had no ornamentation except for a small wind sculpture in the front. The windows were all darkened glass, making it next to impossible to see into the store itself. The building seemed to try and fade into background, quietly existing. It had no need for the extravagant displays that characterized the other buildings in the Ginza district, it didn't have to draw customers in with flash and glitter, it was confident that its name alone stood for who and what it was, and it no longer needed to advertise. That name was printed in letters of gold over the entrance to the building in Roman script. Keiichi read it as he passed through the doors, 'Mikimoto', it said; the most renowned jeweler in Japan. He nodded to the woman behind the information desk and made his way up the dark red carpeted grand spiral staircase to the second floor where rings, particularly engagement and wedding rings, were sold.

"Welcome!" another woman called out to him as he walked into the ring area. Noticing that Keiichi hesitated for a second, she asked, "May I help you today?"

Keiichi nodded nervously to the woman, "Er, uh, yeah, I mean, yes."

The woman smiled slightly, nervous young men were a regular on this particular floor. She adjusted her dark uniform top slightly and came out from behind the counter to stand next to Keiichi, "Are you looking for something in particular today, or…" she politely trailed off.

Keiichi swallowed and calmed himself down, a bit, "Actually, I am here to pick up a ring." He pulled the envelope out of his jacket pocket and handed it to the sales lady. She opened it and quickly scanned the order form and then smiled at Keiichi.

"Of course, sir. Please take a seat over at that table, someone will be right back with your order," she said, pointing to a small table with three seats and a small lamp.

Keiichi walked over and sat down, waiting for her to return with his order. He didn't have a long wait as a minute later; a young man in a dark suit came carrying a pouch.

"Morisato-san?" the young man said, bowing politely, "Thank you for coming today."

Keiichi bowed back, "Thank you for letting me know it was in."

The young man opened a drawer in the table; he pulled out a soft white cloth and spread it on the table taking the seat opposite of Keiichi. He turned on the light then opened the pouch up, pulling out a dark book and small wrapped box. He handed the book to Keiichi, explaining, "This is the certificate for the diamond, it lists the cut, the color, clarity, and any flaws. As you asked, we laser etched the date and the design you gave us into the stone, it's noted here," he said, pointing to a drawing in the book where a diamond shape was drawn. "We also etched the Mikimoto logo, should this ring ever break, bring it back to us and we can identify the diamond and fix it for free."

Keiichi nodded and watched as the man carefully un-wrapped the box, setting aside three different types of wrapping paper and a small booklet that talked about what was inside. He slowly pealed the Mikimoto seal off and opened the box, pulling out the ring and setting it on the white cloth where the diamond caught the light from the lamp and seemed to catch fire, sparkling rainbow colors on the cloth through its facets.

The young man gently picked up the platinum band and held it out to Keiichi, who reverently took it. "As you can see, Morisato-san, the diamond you chose has been set into the platinum ring. The metal shouldn't break or tarnish, ever, though the prongs holding the diamond may snap if care is not taken. But bring the ring back to the store, and we will be glad to fix it for you. Please check the engraving on the inside of the ring to make sure it is correct."

Keiichi dutifully held the ring up to his eyes and read, 'K1 to Belldandy-200X'. Keiichi nodded, "It's perfect," he said in a somewhat awed voice for what this ring represented.

The young man smiled, "Good, we wanted to make sure it was right as the spelling was, well..." he trailed off, not wanting to give offence.

Keiichi grinned, "Not Japanese, I know. My girlfriend isn't Japanese."

The man smiled in reply, "I have heard that many people are now wedding foreigners," he commented.

'You have no idea,' Keiichi through.

The young man took the ring back and carefully re-wrapped it. "Now then, everything is all set. You have already paid 400,000 out of 515,300 yen, would you like to pay the reminder now with cash or credit?"

"Cash, please," Keiichi said and pulled out 115,300 yen and placed it into the tray that the sales clerk had put in front of him.

"Very good, I will be right back with your receipt," the clerk stated.

Shortly afterward, Keiichi stood up with the ring and book back in its protective pouch. He started to leave to the bows and thanks from the staff in the store.

"Oh! Sir!" the woman who had first helped him called out.

Keiichi stopped and half turned back to look at her questioningly.

The woman smiled warmly, "Congratulations on your up-coming engagement."

Keiichi smiled, "Thank you," he said and left the store. 'Now I just need to ask her, and figure out a way to do it without getting killed,' he thought.

Keiichi quietly snuck into Whirlwind, Chihiro looked up from the bike she was working on, "Did you get it?" she demanded.

Keiichi nodded affirmative, "Thanks to you, Chihiro-san."

Chihiro waved the wrench she was holding, "Not a problem, not a problem," she said, grinning. "It was my suggestion after all."

"More like demand," Keiichi muttered, remembering how Chihiro had badgered him relentlessly when he had mentioned how he was finally starting to think about asking Belldandy to marry him.

"What was that?" the cheerful, and slightly dangerous, woman demanded, suddenly popping up in front of Keiichi with narrowed, glaring eyes.

"Nothing! Nothing!" Keiichi exclaimed, backing away quickly and trying to ward her off with his hands.

"So... when are you going to ask her?" Chihiro asked.

"Well...," Keiichi stopped, then looked around, "Where's Belldandy?"

Chihiro grinned, "I sent her for some food; she should be back in 10 minutes or so. So spill it, when and how are you going to ask her?"

Keiichi started to nervously rub the back of his head, "Well... you see..."

Chihiro frowned, "You haven't figured out how to yet, have you?" she stated.

Keiichi's head dropped in embarrassment, "No."

Chihiro blew air through her lips in annoyance, "You," she exclaimed, pointing at the shorter young man, "Need to get your courage up and ask her! You've keep that poor girl hanging for four years now."

"I know, I know," Keiichi replied, "But I haven't figured out how to yet."

Chihiro shrugged; then got a slightly maniacal look on her face, "I know! What you need to do is challenge her to a race and leave the ring tied to the bike! And then tell her you want to ride with her forever! It'll be so romantic!" she said, clasping her hands to her chest and looking off to the distance with starry eyes.

"I think that's what YOU want," Keiichi said with a pained look.

"Er, well, yes." Chihiro coughed. "ANY case," she said quickly, "I know you too well, Morisato-kun, if you don't ask her within the next few days, you'll sit on that ring for months!"

Behind Chihiro, a mirror on the wall glowed slightly, unnoticed by the two people.

"You just need to ask her!" Chihiro proclaimed loudly, "Just grab Belldandy and ask her. Say..."

"Ask me what, Chihiro-san?" Belldandy asked politely from behind her.

Chihiro let out a shriek and jumped a good half meter off the ground. Spinning in mid-air, she turned to face Belldandy, "Bell-chan! When, how, did you get back in?"

Belldandy smiled gently and ignored the second question, "Just now, I got the Chinese food you asked for," she said, holding up the plastic bag. She titled her head curiously, "What does Keiichi-san need to ask me?"

"Uh, uh..." Chihiro cast about desperately, "He needs to ask you if you... if... uh... you remembered to get him the pork buns that he likes! Yeah, that's it!"

Belldandy smiled, "Of course I did, I got him an extra one as well," she said, handing a bag to Keiichi.

Chihiro blinked, "I can't believe she bought that," she said to herself. "Well, since Belldandy got us lunch, break time you two!"

Belldandy quickly set up a small table and spread out the food. "So what part did you need to pick up, Keiichi-san?" she asked while pouring the tea.

Keiichi and Chihiro froze again. Desperately, Keiichi reached behind him and grabbed the first thing that came to hand, "This!" he said, whipping his arm around.

Belldandy looked at the part Keiichi was showing her in confusion, "Um, isn't that a brake cable?" she asked.

Keiichi laughed nervously, "Yeah... but..."

Chihiro jumped in quickly, "It's a special cable you see! Very special, cost a lot and took a long time to get here."

Belldandy looked from Keiichi to Chihiro, 'reading' their color patterns. 'They are both really nervous, like they are hiding something,' she thought. She then dismissed that thought; Keiichi would never hide something from her, at least nothing bad. Whatever it was, she trusted him. "I see," she said simply.

Keiichi started to sweat, 'I'm doomed,' he thought.

This feeling of being doomed followed him home as he drove Belldandy in the sidecar through the streets of Nekomi City. Keeping part of his mind on the drive, he quickly thought of, and dismissed, various plans for asking Belldandy that all important question.

'We'll go to the beach, and then I'll take her out in a raft...,' he stopped that thought, 'And then I will probably drown after a wave knocks the raft over.' "Ok, that won't work," he muttered. 'Maybe an elegant dinner, followed by a glass of wine up in a hotel room,' he tried again, and then stopped as an image of Urd and Belldandy's chicken fight suddenly came to mind. 'Perhaps just asking her at dinner tonight, just blurting it out right now?' Memories of Skuld and her special attachments for Banpei stopped that thought cold. "Maybe if I ask Urd?" he whispered; then stopped again, "What am I saying?" he exclaimed loud enough for Belldandy to catch it.

"What are you saying, what, Keiichi-san?" she asked in concern.

He smiled weakly at her, "Ah, nothing, Belldandy. Just thinking, that's all."

Belldandy frowned slightly but let the matter drop.

Keiichi pulled the bike to a stop in front of the temple steps and helped Belldandy out of the sidecar. Belldandy smiled and thanked him for the ride.

Keiichi smiled widely in return, "You're welcome, Belldandy. I'll be right up," he said, starting the bike up to drive it to its garage while Belldandy climbed the steps to the temple. While parking the BMW, he noticed another motorcycle, this one belonging to his sister, Megumi.

Keiichi groaned, tonight was definitely not going to be his night.

"I'm home," he called out, walking into the entrance way.

"Welcome back," a muffled Urd replied from the living room where she was engrossed with the TV.

Megumi poked her head out of the living room where she had been watching TV with Urd, "Welcome back, Keiichi."

"Megumi, what are you doing here?" Keiichi asked as he removed his shoes and walked up into the house.

Megumi grinned, "I was just in the neighborhood and thought I'd stop by and see how my favorite brother was doing."

Keiichi sighed, "I'm your only brother you know, and this is hardly close to anywhere you normally go."

Megumi's impish grin grew wider and she ducked back into the living room. Keiichi paused in his walk as a thought, and a plan, struck him. "Megumi!" he called out. His sister leaned back through the doorway, this time with a rice cracker in her mouth.

"Mmph?" she enquired.

"Come here for a second, will you?" Keiichi gestured frantically.

Megumi scooted out of the room into the hallway. Keiichi shook his head, "No, I mean, come with me. I... uh, I have something to show you about your bike."

Megumi blinked and stood up, chomping down the rice cracker in the process, "What's wrong with my bike?" she asked.

Keiichi sighed, "Just come with me, ok?"

"Ok, ok," Megumi said playfully, "Whatever you want, favorite brother."

The two slid their shoes back on and quickly left the house. A few second later, Belldandy came into the hallway from the kitchen, "Keiichi-san?" she called for him.

"He's outside with Megumi," Urd replied, still watching TV.

Belldandy walked into the living room, "Oh? Well, this can wait. I was just going to tell him that dinner will be a little bit late while we wait for Skuld to get back from the store."

Urd looked up at her younger sister, "Don't you think he's been acting strange lately?" she asked.

"How do you mean?" Belldandy inquired.

"Well," Urd said, counting off on her fingers, "He's been really nervous lately. He's been really tired lately, even though supposedly he isn't doing more than working at Whirlwind. He has come home late a few times with no explanations, and he and Chihiro have been talking a lot lately on the phone. Plus, they ALWAYS change the topic if anyone comes near them," she finished. "I'd say that's pretty strange."

Belldandy folded her legs under her and sat down next to Urd, "You may be right. Today Chihiro-san sent Keiichi-san out for a part but asked that I not go with him. When I came back from getting lunch, they were talking about me and tried to tell me that he had gone to get a brake cable."

Urd looked up with interest, "Talking about you?" she asked.

"Yes, Chihiro-san said that he should just ask me," Belldandy replied.

A large grin slowly grew on Urd's face. "Ask you, huh?"

Belldandy looked concerned, "Do you know what they were talking about, Oneesan?"

Urd laughed, "No, no. Just a thought, but I'm sure I'm wrong about it. Or rather, I'm sure you'll find out about it soon, if I am right about it."

Belldandy frowned a little, "Oneesan," she said in a warning tone, "What do think is going on?"

Urd chuckled and laid back on the tatami, "Really, Belldandy, I might be wrong so telling you is only going to make you worried. And if I'm right, you wouldn't appreciate me telling you." The older goddess smiled gently at Belldandy, "You still trust him, right?"

"Of course," Belldandy replied, automatically it seemed.

"And you do want to stay with him forever, right?" Urd continued.

"As long as he wants me to," Belldandy said, "Urd, what..."

Urd held up a hand, forestalling the request, "Trust me on this one, little sister. You're better off not knowing till Keiichi is ready to tell you himself. Just... trust him."

Belldandy gave a small sigh of frustration and rose, "I do trust him, and I know he would never do anything to hurt me."

"Then that's all you need to know right now, Belldandy," Urd said, turning back to the TV.

Belldandy left the room and Urd smiled to herself, "Just need to ask her, huh, Keiichi? Better ask soon before the normal insanity catches up with you," she said softly.

Outside by the bikes, Keiichi turned and faced down his own little sister. "Megumi, I need to ask you a favor," he asked seriously.

Megumi cocked her head to the side, "What do you need?" she asked him.

"Are you free day after tomorrow, in the evening?" he said.

Megumi thought for a second, "Saturday evening?"

"Saturday evening," Keiichi confirmed.

Megumi grinned, "Ok, I can hook you up with a date, but what about Belldandy?" Teasing her brother was one of her favorite hobbies.

"That's not what I meant!" Keiichi shouted.

Megumi laughed, "All right, all right. What do you mean?"

"I want you to please come over Saturday evening and keep Urd and Skuld occupied."

Megumi raised one of her eyebrows, "Occupied, as in?"

"As in keeping them in the house, I don't care how."

The girl nodded slowly, "Ok, I can do that. Taking Belldandy out for a hot date? Or are you heading straight for the love hotel, you sly dog you."

Keiichi sighed; sometimes his sister was worse than Urd! "No!"

"Then, what?" she asked.

In answer, Keiichi opened the trunk of the sidecar and pulled out the pouch he had carefully stored in it. Megumi's eyes widened when she saw the Mikimoto name.

"Keiichi," she said breathlessly, full of excitement, "Is that what I think it is?"

Keiichi nodded, "I need you to keep her sisters occupied while..." he trailed off and gestured to the pouch.

"You're going to ask Belldandy to mar..." Megumi shrieked delightedly before Keiichi clapped his hand over her mouth before she could complete her sentence.

"Shhh!" Keiichi said desperately, looking around for any divine eavesdroppers, or mechanical ones. In the distance he heard Banpei turn the corner on his endless patrol of the temple grounds.

Megumi tugged down the hand covering her mouth, and in a much quieter voice said, "You're going to ask Belldandy to marry you this Saturday?"

"Yeah," Keiichi nodded, "If I can figure out how to do it."

Megumi laughed, "Poor brother. Just go with your heart. You asked Belldandy out, right? Surely you can find the right words to ask her to stay with you."

'Well, actually, I never did ask Belldandy to go out with me," Keiichi suddenly thought.

"All right, Keiichi, I'll help you out with your plan," Megumi said. "What time do you want me here?"

Keiichi considered the question, Belldandy had always seemed to love sunsets most of all. So if he and she left around 4, they could get to the bay right at sunset. "4:30," he said. "Please come then."

Megumi nodded, "Ok," she said.

Later that night, Keiichi laid back on his futon, staring up at the ceiling. The ring had been safely hidden in his room. All he had to do was wait until the day after tomorrow, and figure out a way to ask Belldandy of course.

He heard a tap at his door, turning on his side; he could see the outline of Urd against the shoji. "Come in, Urd," he called.

The white haired goddess quietly slid the door open and walked in, closing the door behind her.

"Well, Keiichi," she said with an amused smile on her face, "Belldandy told me something interesting about you today."

"Oh?" Keiichi said, trying to sound as nonchalantly as he could.

"Yes, about you being sent on a mysterious part run, and a conversation with Chihiro about asking Belldandy something."

Keiichi froze, "It's... I mean, how is that interesting, Urd?" he said weakly.

Urd shook her head from side to side, "Keiichi, Keiichi, Keiichi," she said with mock regret, "Don't you know by now it's better to tell big sister Urd what she wants." Urd's smile turned slightly malicious, she held up her hands, one holding a multi-colored pill, the other starting to crackle as she called upon her powers. "Now, then," she continued, "What's it going to be, truth pill or Urd bolt?" she said sweetly.

Keiichi backpedaled from Urd's 'choices', crashing into the shelf behind him.

Urd's voice dropped into a husky whisper as she stalked up to the terrified young man, "There is a third choice you know," she said, casting a long look at Keiichi.

Keiichi swallowed audibly, "Th... third, choice?"

"Yes, Keiichi," Urd cooed, dropping to her knees next to him; she leaned over and whispered in his ear, "You can just tell me the truth."

Looking at both the pill and the bolt fearfully, Keiichi asked in a small voice, "What did you want to know, Urd?"

Urd smiled and sat back on her knees facing Keiichi, dismissing the bolt and pocketing the pill, "Wise choice, Morisato Keiichi." Her expression grew serious, "Keiichi, I don't want to know directly, (mainly because it's impossible to lie to Belldandy) but are you getting ready to ask something important to my sister?" she asked.

Keiichi nodded.

"And does this important question have something to do with the two of you and your future?"

Keiichi nodded again.

Urd smiled, looking very satisfied, "Finally! It's about time, Keiichi." Then her expression grew serious again, "Keiichi, I know you two make each other very happy. You passed through the Judgment Gate, so I know Kami-sama Himself has blessed you, but..." she trailed off then continued after a deep breath. "But relationships between the gods and mortals have almost always ended in tragedy."

"Are you trying to say I shouldn't ask her?" Keiichi said quietly.

Urd rapidly shook her head, "No, not at all. I want her to be happy."

Keiichi looked up at Urd, "Then...?"

Urd sighed, "Keiichi, I'll tell you truthfully. We're old. We're very old. The Norns have existed before this planet formed. We were working on Yggdrasil before this galaxy was spun out of star stuff."

"But, I remember Belldandy as a child!" Keiichi protested.

Urd nodded, "Yes, that's right. Every so often, to understand people better, we grow old and we die. We are then reborn as ourselves, or a different point of view of ourselves. We're still us, but a different way of looking at us," she stopped as she noticed Keiichi's totally blank expression. "Over your head?" she asked.

"Very," he replied.

Urd sighed and rolled her eyes, "Ok, look at it this way, you know when you rebuild or modify a bike, you take out the parts, and put in different ones, maybe change the color or something like that?"

Keiichi nodded.

"It looks different and acts different, but it's still the same bike, right?"

Keiichi nodded again.

"Kinda like that, our... souls stay the same, but we're different than we were before. We have to relearn our abilities because they are different and we act differently, but we are still the Norns, got it?"

Keiichi nodded slowly, "Ok, I understand, I think."

"Hold on to that," Urd said then continued. "This period of growing old and passing to the next stage takes thousands of your earth years. It seems like a lifetime to us up in Heaven, but Belldandy told you about the time difference, right?"

Keiichi nodded yet again.

"So the reason why most relationships don't go well between gods and mortals is just that, you will age, and you will die. Keiichi, we're like humans too in that we don't like loss. It hurts," Urd said with a small, sad, smile. "It will seem so quick to us that you will get old, and then we realize that you will leave us alone. So..."

"So you go out of your way to avoid getting hurt," Keiichi finished.

"Yeah," Urd said softly.

"But what about after I die, won't I go to Heaven?" Keiichi asked.

"Well, that depends on you and what you believe, and even then, we don't usually see the souls of those who have gone before they are reborn or go to their reward," Urd said.

Keiichi was quite as he contemplated that. The idea that he might pass on, leaving Belldandy behind had never occurred to him. It was always the other way around; he had always been worried that Belldandy would have to go back to Heaven without him, leaving him alone.

Urd smiled again, "Keiichi, I am not trying to talk you out of this. Not all relationships go bad like that; the ones that succeed... they're the ones told of in legend in Heaven, and on Earth. They had a hard road to walk, but their happiness is extraordinary, even in Heaven."

Keiichi smiled a bit, "It's not going to be easy, but it's worth it?" he asked.

Urd grinned in reply, "Very."

"So why tell me this?" Keiichi wanted to know.

Urd stood up and walked back to the door, she paused and looked over her shoulder at him, her hand on the door, "I do it so you will understand what you're getting into. You have impressed me, Keiichi (except for not moving fast enough). I think you'll succeed. But most importantly of all, you make our sister very, very happy. Even the brat admits that." Urd slid the door open, "Good night, Keiichi," she said and walked out.

Alone in his room, Keiichi said softly, "Good night, Urd, and thank you."

After taking what felt like forever, Saturday finally came. Keiichi slowly made his way out of his room, listening to the sounds around the house telling him what was going on. From Urd's room, snores from a happily sloshed goddess sounded loud and clear. From Skuld's room, various mechanical sounds, along with some laughter told him that the youngest sister was busy making something again. Finally, he heard a sound that caused his heart to lift. Belldandy was singing to herself in the kitchen while making breakfast.

Keiichi moved down the hallway, his heart beating faster and faster as he prepared to carry out part one of his grand scheme. He pushed the curtain aside and stuck his head into the kitchen.

Belldandy stood at the counter, humming softly to herself as she chopped leeks to go into this morning's miso soup. Keiichi could see the pot of soup gently bubbling next to her and smell the delicate aroma of Belldandy's cooking.

Aware that she was being watched, Belldandy turned and stopped humming to give Keiichi a beautiful smile.

Keiichi answered her smile with a wide one of his own, "Good morning, Belldandy," he said.

"Good morning, Keiichi-san," Belldandy replied, "Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah, and you?" Keiichi asked.

"I did, thank you."

Keiichi took a deep breath, got up his courage "Belldandy?"

"Yes, Keiichi-san?"

"This evening, would you like to go out with me to the bay?"

Belldandy blinked and thought for a moment, "I would like that. Urd and Skuld would like that too."

Keiichi interrupted her, "Not Urd and Skuld, just us." He laughed a little nervously, "It's been a while since we last went out, just the two of us."

Belldandy's smile seemed to grow wider and more joyous, "That sounds wonderful, Keiichi-san." She paused for a second, "Should I make snacks for us to take?"

Keiichi shook his head no, "No, that's ok. I just want it to be just us."

"Of course, Keiichi-san."

"So, shall we leave around 4:20 then?" Keiichi asked.

Belldandy smiled and nodded, "I'll be ready for it then." Then she asked, "Could you please tell everyone breakfast will be ready in 5 minutes?"

"Ok," Keiichi replied. Going back into the hallway, he let out his breath, "Ok, part one is done!" he said then left to call everyone in for breakfast.

At four o'clock, Belldandy left the living room to start getting ready. Going to her room, she was startled to find Urd there, waiting for her.

"Oneesan!" Belldandy exclaimed, "What...?"

Urd smiled, "I just wanted to help you pick out something nice to wear for your date with Keiichi tonight," she said.

Belldandy shot her sister a look, "How did you know Keiichi-san and I were going somewhere?"

Urd tried, and failed, to look innocent, "A little bird told me."

"Oneesan!"

Urd held up both hands, "Ok, ok, I had split myself up and I overheard you two talking this morning."

Belldandy sighed; she loved her sisters, but sometimes...

"So what were you planning to wear?" Urd asked.

Belldandy concentrated and projected an image of a plain yellow sundress in the air in front of Urd. Urd tsk'ed at the choice, "You need something a bit more daring, how about... this?"

Belldandy blushed at seeing the image Urd projected. "Oneesan! I can't wear that!"

"Wear what?" Skuld asked from the doorway, then her brown eyes widened as she also saw the image. "Urd!" she shrieked, "Oneesama can't wear something like that; she's pure and innocent, unlike you!"

Urd's eyes narrowed, "What was that?"

"What it sounded like," Skuld snapped back. "We just have to look at what you normally wear to see your character!"

Urd smiled maliciously, "And who was it who tried to buy a low cut shirt the other day after Sentarou said he liked it?"

Skuld turned as red as her hammer, "Th... th... that's different!" she stammered.

Sensing blood in the water, Urd circled in, grinning like a shark, "Oh?" she drawled, "How is it different? Except that Belldandy and I actually have something to show off?"

Skuld's annoyance quickly burned away her embarrassment, "Well, at least Oneesama and I have someone to show off to!"

That wiped the smile off of Urd's face, "How dare you say that to me you little brat!" Her hands started to glow with power.

"How dare you try to get Oneesama to wear something like that!" Skuld retorted, her hand dipping down the front of her blouse, coming up with a Skuld Bomb.

"Urd! Skuld! Stop it this instant!" Belldandy yelled.

The combatants slowly lowered their arms to glare at each other.

"Now then, I think I will wear this," Belldandy said. She folded her hands and concentrated. Her clothing dissolved into bright white strips and started to circle around her, reforming into a plain yellow sundress that left her arms bare and showed a bit of cleavage. "There, that should work," Belldandy said, looking at herself in the mirror.

"Oneesama, where are you going?" Skuld asked.

"Keiichi-san and I are going to go out for a bit in a few minutes. I think we're going down to the bay," Belldandy said.

Skuld looked excited, "Great! I have a new water gun I wanted to try out, I'll go get ready!"

Urd quickly moved in front of the door before the young goddess could get out, "She said she and Keiichi are going, not us. We're staying here."

Skuld turned to Belldandy who nodded, "But... why can't we come!" Skuld demanded.

Belldandy came up and put her hands on her younger sister's shoulders, "Sometimes you want to have time with those you love, Skuld."

Skuld pouted, "Does that mean you don't love us?"

Belldandy smiled gently, "Of course not! I love you and Oneesan, you know that. It's just... Just sometimes you need time to be alone with a special someone. Like you and Sentarou-kun.

Skuld blushed again but backed down, letting Belldandy past.

"You're growing up, kiddo," Urd noted.

The two heard Belldandy call to Keiichi from the hallway; then they heard Keiichi's answer. A second later both sisters were flattened as Belldandy raced back into the room, a little flustered.

From her new position on the floor where Belldandy's speedy entrance knocked her down to, Urd demanded, "What did you do that for?"

"He's in a shirt and tie, I didn't think it was going to be a bit formal," Belldandy said a little panicked.

Urd smiled like a cat, "See? I told you that you should have gone with the dress I picked."

"Oneesama is not going to wear something like that!" Skuld protested on the floor by the door.

A flash of white later and Belldandy was clad in a pale pink skirt and an orange and white top with a matching short jacket, not too formal, but elegant all the same.

"You look beautiful, Oneesama," Skuld said.

Belldandy smiled, "Thank you, Skuld. Please excuse me, I'm late!" And with that, she headed out from the room to the entrance way were Keiichi in a gray shirt and red tie stood waiting for her, the well matched couple smiled at each other.

"Well, shall we go?" Keiichi asked, reaching hesitantly for Belldandy's hand.

"Let's, Keiichi-san," Belldandy replied, slipping her hand into his and letting him lead her out of the house.

Behind them, they heard Urd call out, "Have fun storming the castle!" with Skuld commenting, "I thought you never wanted that date of yours mentioned ever again."

The two sisters watched as Keiichi and Belldandy left the temple, heading down the hill in the BMW towards the bay. Urd stretched, and yawned widely, "Well, now, let's go watch TV."

Skuld got a crafty look in her eyes, "Actually I have something I wanted to do in my room," she said and started to walk towards her lab, to be pulled up short as Urd grabbed her ear. "Ouch!"

"This something wouldn't happen to have something to do with going after Belldandy, would it?" Urd asked.

Skuld's eyes flashed fire, "And what TV show were you planning to watch, Urd? Something to do with Oneesama too?"

The two growled at each other.

"Listen, brat, you're going to stay here, got it?" Urd said.

"And you aren't going to spy on Oneesama!" Skuld retorted.

"Um, excuse me?" a third voice cut in.

"I'm just going to watch TV, nothing more!" Urd exclaimed.

"And I just wanted to work on some parts for Banpei," Skuld replied.

"Uh... hello?" the voice tried again.

"I don't believe you!" both sisters shouted at the same time, starting to reach for spell and weapon to stop as a piercing whistle sounded. The two froze half way and turned to look at Megumi who was standing in front of them.

Now convinced that she had their attention, she tried again, "Sorry for the interruption, but can I come in?"

Skuld spoke first, "Keiichi and Oneesama aren't home right now, Megumi, sorry."

Megumi smiled, "Actually I came to see you two."

"Us?" both sisters said at the same time, looking at each other and blinking, "Why us?"

Megumi laughed, "You two really are sisters!"

Urd and Skuld glared at each other then looked away with a snort, "Unfortunately!" they said.

Megumi laughed again, "I came because I need help. Skuld, I need your help with this part, it isn't working right," Megumi said, holding up a crystal radio set. "I was asked to put it together, but nothing I do seems to work."

'That should keep her busy,' Megumi thought, 'That radio can't work! It's a joke set that's missing half the parts and the other half are in backwards!' Skuld accepted the set and turned it over a few times. "Wait right here, I'll be back in a few minutes."

The two women watched Skuld run off to her lab, as happy as a child with a new toy. Urd said, "Well, that explains Skuld, but what do you need me for?"

Megumi held up a textbook, "Belldandy said that you're the best when it comes to chemistry. I have some problems I need help with."

Urd took the textbook with a distinct lack of interest, but sighed and said, "Alright, come on in. I'll help you out with it."

Megumi smiled and walked up into the house, 'There, Keiichi, this should buy you the time that you need.'

Megumi followed Urd into the tall woman's room, noting the set up of what looked like a major chemistry lab. Urd flopped down on a cushion, "What do you need help with?" she said in a bored tone.

Megumi handed over the book to Urd, pointing out the sample problem set. "Well, I need the formulas for these here; then I need to balance them with these, then finally produce these results," she said pointing at various parts of the book.

Urd looked at the book and frowned for a second, then flipped the cover over. "Why are you using a graduate text in chemistry, Megumi?" she asked.

Megumi panicked momentarily, "Er, the professor assigned it to us as extra credit," she said quickly.

Urd shrugged, "Ok. Hang on a sec..."

Megumi sat back with a small smile that quickly turned to an awed look as she watched Urd start to rapidly write out the chemical formulas, filling the sheet with symbols and equations almost without looking. She then balanced the results with the next part of the problem series and wrote out a complicated set of instructions. Five minutes later and she handed five pages of completed notes to the stunned woman.

"Basic stuff," Urd said with a shrug. "Do you have a lab to run the experiment or no?"

Megumi looked at the problem set; then turned back a page to re-read 'The following set is an example of an unsolvable chemical problem and is included as a teaching example,' and then looked at Urd's solution. "Uh..." she said in a shaky voice, "If I could use yours?"

Before Urd could reply, a female voice with a British accent said, in English, "Playing the best music in Northern Nevada from the 80's, 90's and whatever; this is 97.3, BOB FM," to be replaced with a loud guitar riff and a man singing:

Hey little sister, what have you done?  
Hey little sister, who's the only one?  
Hey little sister, who's your superman?  
Hey little sister, who's the one you want?  
Hey little sister -- shotgun!

Urd looked in annoyance at Skuld who was standing in the doorway with the loudly playing radio set Megumi had given her, "Turn that down!" she screamed.

Skuld fumbled for a second before switching the radio off, "Sorry, I didn't think the volume was up that high." She then looked at Megumi, "I got it all fixed, I also added a few more things to it to make it better. It's now," she drew herself up proudly and gestured to the radio that had a new red and white case around it, and a smiley face instead of a dial, "Super Rajio-kun Mark II!" Skuld held it out to Megumi, "Here you go," she said casually.

Megumi accepted the radio, "Thank you, Skuld," she said in a small voice.

Urd tapped the pages she had handed to Megumi to get her attention, "It should take you maybe a half an hour to do the experiment."

Megumi looked down at the sheets, "Ah, now that I think about it, I think I can use the lab at school." 'I have no idea how to do half of what Urd wrote,' she thought. Thinking quickly to come up with a new way to keep the two sisters at home and out of her brother's hair, Megumi came up with another idea. "Thanks for your help you two, this will really help me a lot. Why don't I order dinner for us to say thank you since Keiichi and Belldandy are likely to be gone a while?" 'Keiichi, you BETTER pay me back!'

Urd and Skuld readily agreed and Megumi went into the hallway to grab the phone. "Now what do I know takes the longest time to cook, is the furthest away, but will still deliver to the temple?" she asked herself and started dialing.

Belldandy enjoyed the feel of the wind as Keiichi roared down the coastal highway towards Tokyo Bay. She caught him glancing at her out of the corner of his eyes. She turned and smiled at him and felt warmth at his answering smile. 'It has been a bit too long since it was just the two of us, she thought.

They reached the waterfront district just as the sun started its final plunge behind the mountains into the Sea of Japan. The bay itself was lit with a warm golden glow that reflected off the water and buildings in the area. Belldandy sighed contentedly as she looked at the scene of this meeting of mountains, ocean, sun, and wind. Keiichi carefully parked the bike in a public lot and Helped Belldandy out of the sidecar. He packed the helmets into the trunk and took out a small backpack, which he placed on his back.

Smiling at his goddess, he asked her, "Where would you like to go first?"

"Wherever you want, Keiichi-san," Belldandy replied. Keiichi held out his hand and Belldandy took it. The two young lovers started walking, with Keiichi leading the way to a restaurant he knew of.

Urd glanced at the clock, 7:30. The dinner had long since been delivered and consumed. They had even gone out for ice cream. Now Megumi sat in the living room telling story after story of her parents and Keiichi growing up in Hokkaido. She looked longingly at the TV; Keiichi would be asking Belldandy tonight, and here she was stuck listening to Keiichi's sister. What was worse, she couldn't use her powers to use the TV to sneak a peak while Megumi was in the house.

"And then Keiichi managed to get his foot caught in the drain and fell into the rice paddy. He was such a muddy mess!" Megumi said.

Skuld looked longingly at her room, she wanted to go and start searching for her sister and Keiichi. Who knew what Keiichi might have been doing to her Oneesama when Skuld wasn't there to watch him?

Megumi was desperate; she was quickly running out of ideas to keep the two occupied. Finally she reached the end of her story and paused for breath.

"That was very interesting, Megumi," Urd said in a tone of voice that revealed she felt the exact opposite. "I'll be sure to keep Keiichi away from cows, rice patties, and pocky after hearing that."

"Uh," Megumi said, scratching the back of her head, "Yeah, that's a good idea. Oh, that reminds me of the time when Keiichi changed oil for the first time and ended up getting it all over himself! He even managed to get it in his mouth!"

"Megumi," Skuld interrupted, "Why are you telling us this?"

"Well, Keiichi said..." Megumi stopped before she blurted out the rest of the sentence. However, it was too late, the damage had been done.

Urd perked up, "Keiichi said? Keiichi said what?"

"Uh, I mean, Keiichi said that it might be a good idea for me to come over and keep you guys company while he was busy with Belldandy," Megumi said, then mentally slapped herself upside the head.

Urd looked annoyed, "Oh, he did, did he?" she growled.

"Busy? Busy with what?" Skuld demanded. "What is he doing to Oneesama?" In her mind, Skuld filled in the blanks with some scenes from the magazines she reads. Her sister being kissed, her sister being forced to kiss, her sister being forced to...! She shot to her feet, looming over Megumi, a move that would have been more intimidating had she been taller, older, and had her hammer ready.

Megumi blanched at the implied threats from both women and decided to come clean. "Ok, you got me. It's too late to find them anyway. Keiichi is going to propose to Belldandy tonight and he asked me to keep you two at home."

"He is going to WHAT!" Skuld split the air with her scream. She clenched her fists, shaking in anger, "That... that... THAT! That mortal!"

Megumi blinked at Skuld's choice of insult.

"That's it! He dies!" Skuld declared. She spun on her heels and started heading towards her lab calling loudly for Banpei to get ready to go. Banpei beeped in acknowledgement.

'And people say I'M a demon,' Urd thought.

"I can't believe he would ask her that! Doesn't he understand what that means!" the young goddess proclaimed to the world at large stalking off to the hallway.

"Do you really hate my bother that much?" Megumi asked quietly.

Skuld stopped in mid stalk. She blushed a bit.

"You know, I haven't seen Belldandy this happy, ever. It's been since she came here that she really started to glow," Urd commented. She pointed to Skuld's recently vacated seat, "Come back here and let's talk about it, little sister," she said.

Skuld came back and sat down.

"Skuld, do you really dislike Keiichi?" Megumi asked again.

Skuld ducked her head, hiding her eyes, "It's not that I hate Keiichi. He's ok. It's just that..." she couldn't finish.

"Just that you're afraid to lose your older sister?" Megumi asked.

Skuld nodded.

"I know how you feel," Megumi said, talking a swallow of tea.

Skuld's head came up at that as she faced Megumi, her question clearly written on her face.

"Keiichi has always been there for me," Megumi explained. "When I was little, he always took care of me. If I ever had a problem, I knew I could go to him and he would make it better somehow," she smiled and little wistfully. "To be honest, that's one of the reasons I tried for Nekomi Tech. I missed him so much that I wanted him back. But when I came here, I found out that I had been replaced by Belldandy." Another sip of tea as the young woman gathered her thoughts. Skuld was absolutely quiet. "Then I found out that my brother had fallen in love, and while he still helped me, I could tell that his attention was on Belldandy most of the time. I had to share with him, my brother, with her."

"I'm surprised you didn't get mad at Belldandy and try to take it out on her," Urd said, with an eye on Skuld who got the comparison and blushed a bit more.

Megumi chuckled a bit, "Well, at first I was a bit angry, but you just can't stay mad at Belldandy. I don't know why."

Urd laughed softly, "I know what you mean."

"Then I saw how happy she makes Keiichi, and how happy he makes her, and I realized that I couldn't get mad at that. If I really loved my brother, I needed to let him go and be happy." She took a deep breath and then finished, "But I admit the idea of him getting married makes me wonder just how much time he will have for his little sister now on."

Urd tried to answer, but Skuld spoke first, "He will make time for you." Urd turned in surprise to look at her youngest sister. "He will make the time," Skuld repeated. "Keiichi is... he's special. He's done more than any human I've seen before. He always tries to help those he cares about, even those who have tried to hurt him or Oneesama. He helped that witch Sayoko. He helped Morgan. He helped Gate. He even helped Peorth and Welsper."

"He also tried to help Celestin," Urd said softly.

Skuld nodded and continued, "He will always help you."

Megumi smiled at the young girl, her eyes a little bright with unshed tears, "Thank you, Skuld."

"I guess this means I should also accept that Belldandy will still make time for me too," Skuld said quietly.

Urd nodded, "Yup."

"I don't LIKE it!" Skuld suddenly yelled, then deflated, "But you're right, she has been smiling more since she came to Earth and has been with Keiichi." Her brown eyes got a bit of fire, "But if he does anything to hurt her..."

Urd laughed, "If he hurts her, I'll get my mother to help plot our revenge, how's that?"

Skuld shuddered at the thought.

'Their mom must be seriously scary,' Megumi thought. "Well, since that's settled and the cat is out of the bag, I guess I better get going." She stood up and gathered her book with Urd's notes and the radio Skuld had fixed. "Oh, I know that my folks will come down as soon as they hear. They'll want to meet your parents as well. Will they come to Japan, or maybe it would better for us to visit them?" she asked then grinned, "A trip overseas sounds great!"

Urd and Skuld paled at the idea of their father coming to visit the temple, or the Morisatos visiting Heaven.

"Well, we'll just have to wait and see," Urd said quickly.

Skuld nodded, "Yes, our father is really busy all the time so..."

Megumi nodded, "I know how that goes at times. When they meet, they'll meet. See you later!" And with that, Megumi waved and left the temple.

Skuld and Urd sighed in relief.

"You really are growing up, kiddo," Urd said to Skuld approvingly.

Skuld smiled a little sadly but left it at that.

Urd stood up and rubbed her hands together, "Now let's see if we can find those two!"

"Urd!" Skuld said in a warning tone, "You're not going to do anything!"

"I don't mean to cause problems for them," Urd protested, "Wouldn't you like to be there to see it though?"

"Well..." Skuld said, a small war in her heart between the desire to protect Belldandy from Urd, the desire to keep Keiichi away from Belldandy, and the desire to watch a real life romantic scene out of her manga fighting a battle.

"Just think, the sun setting, the stars coming out, watching Keiichi present Belldandy with the ring. We'll just hide in the bushes, won't even say anything. Then we can teleport home and congratulate them when they come back to the temple," Urd tempted.

The romance managa won. "Ok, but ONLY if we stay out of sight and you don't do anything!" Skuld said.

"I promise!" Urd said, then quickly turned on the TV. She cast a tracking spell. A moment later, Keiichi and Belldandy appeared on the screen, walking hand in hand along the waterfront. Urd frowned at the vision, "He still hasn't asked her? Oh well." She leaned forward and touched the TV screen, searching for one close to where she wanted to go, then sat back with a frown.

"What's wrong?" Skuld asked.

"No TVs are close by that wouldn't get us into trouble and alert Belldandy," Urd said. She cast a look at her sister, "I guess it's up to you."

Skuld put a finger to the tea in front of her; then held out her hand to Urd, "Coming, Oneesan?"

Urd's eyes widened at the honorific, but she said nothing. Instead, she clasped hands with Skuld and a moment later both were gone.

The dinner had been wonderful. It wasn't a fancy place, but rather a small cafe with outdoor seating. There they had sat and enjoyed each others company as they ate their meal and talked about life.

Keiichi chickened out on asking after dessert.

The boat ride had been a small slice of Heaven. With the wind blowing in from the ocean of peace, Belldandy stood at the prow of the ship, eyes closed in pleasure as it slowly sliced through the waters of Tokyo Bay and Keiichi fell in love with her all over again.

And he couldn't work up the courage to ask as the boat came into dock.

Now they walked hand in hand along the water front in the twilight, stopping now and then to gaze out over the water and enjoy the view. Off to the side, the Rainbow Bridge started its nightly show of shifting colored lights. Keiichi stopped to watch for a while and leaned on the white railing that kept him from falling into the bay. Suddenly he noticed the parallel and laughed.

"What's so funny, Keiichi-san?" Belldandy asked him.

"I was just remembering that time when I slipped on that can and almost fell into the water," Keiichi replied with a smile.

Belldandy laughed lightly, "I was so glad that I caught you in time. I was afraid that you would get hurt." She leaned against him and he nervously put his arm around her, mimicking the pose he took after she had saved him.

"That was our first kiss," Belldandy sighed.

"It was magical, really," Keiichi replied. "I don't think I will ever forget floating over the water like that and kissing you."

Belldandy blushed a little at the memory. "At that time, I was afraid of using my powers a lot," she confessed.

"Why?"

"I was afraid that I might scare you if I seemed too much a goddess and not enough of a woman," Belldandy said. She felt Keiichi's arm tighten around her a bit and she snuggled in a bit more against him.

"I never doubted that you're a woman Belldandy, never."

"I'm glad of that, Keiichi-san."

The two stood silently for a while, enjoying the closeness. Finally Keiichi broke the silence, "Belldandy?"

"Yes, Keiichi-san?"

"Do you ever, I mean, I never asked you out. Do you ever feel..." he struggled with the words.

Belldandy looked perplexed for a second then understood his meaning. She smiled at him, "Keiichi-san, you DID ask me out."

Keiichi looked at her curiously. 'When did I ask her out?' he thought. 'And how am I ever going to ask her to marry me? I can't even think of the right words.'

Belldandy smiled at him, "Remember, Keiichi-san, when you made your wish? I could hear your thoughts. I knew what you thought of me and what you really wanted your wish to be." She laughed, "In a way, I cheated. Just a little."

Keiichi raised his eyebrows, "Cheated?"

Belldandy looked a little guilty, "You wished for a goddess like me to stay with you forever. You didn't ask for me to stay with you as your girlfriend. But... I wanted... I was selfish and added my own wish to yours." She turned a bit from him so he could not see her face. "I'm sorry, Keiichi-san."

Keiichi laughed and hugged Belldandy, "I think that's what I really wanted, just didn't know how to say at the time. I knew, somehow, that you were the answer to my prayers. If it was selfish, it was I being selfish, wanting to keep a beautiful goddess with me forever."

Belldandy looked up, crying slightly at his words, "You mean that, Keiichi?"

Keiichi nodded.

Belldandy's smile became radiant, "Thank you, my Keiichi-san. I am so glad, and I thank Kami-sama that you made that wish." She hugged him tight.

And in that moment, Morisato Keiichi touched Heaven and he finally knew how to ask.

A few bushes away, the Past and the Future watched the Present with interest. Urd pursed her lips in frustration, "Come on, Keiichi, ask her already!"

Skuld nodded, caught up in the drama in front of her.

The two watched their sister and her boyfriend embrace and talk some more, then fall silent. Finally Urd had enough.

"That's it; he's not going to ask without help!" She reached into her pocket and withdrew a yellow and red bottle.

"What's that?" Skuld wanted to know.

"This," Urd said, "Is the best courage potion I can brew up. One sip of this and Keiichi will take on a lion barehanded." She looked at the couple, "I'll just split myself up, fly on over and drop it in his mouth. Belldandy won't even see me!"

An iron hand clamped on her wrist, she looked at Skuld.

"Don't. You. Even. Dare," Skuld hissed.

"Or you'll what?" Urd demanded.

"Or not only will I teleport you back to the temple," Skuld said, putting her hand on the puddle of water they had come through, "But I WILL tell Oneesama."

Urd froze at that, the last time she had tried to do something to Keiichi, Belldandy hadn't taken it too well.

"And I will wire every TV in the house to broadcast only Enka all the time."

"You wouldn't dare," Urd said.

"Try me. You promised, Urd, to leave Keiichi and Belldandy alone."

Urd settled down for now, grumbling, "Maybe you're growing up too fast."

Keiichi broke off the hug and moved away from Belldandy, slinging off his backpack in one movement and pulling out a small, wrapped box.

"Keiichi-san?" Belldandy said, startled at his sudden move.

"Belldandy," Keiichi said, "I want to change my wish!"

Belldandy's eye widened, partly in surprise, partly in fear of what he might say. "I... Keiichi-san, I don't think I can change the contract."

Keiichi shook his head, "I don't mean it that way. I have a new wish, and one I hope you will grant me."

He took a deep breath to steady his nerves. "Belldandy, you have been with me for four years now. I have come to love you as both goddess and woman. So this is my new wish!" 'It's now or never,' he thought. "I want YOU," he said, pointing to her, trying to mimic as close as he could his tone and expression he had when he had made his first wish four years ago; "to stay with me forever!"

Belldandy froze, emotions rapidly playing across her face.

Keiichi sank to one knee and reverently held out the wrapped box to her, as if offering a sacrifice to the altar of a goddess. Putting all his feelings into his voice, into his eyes, into his very being; he gave Belldandy his heart, his hope, and his future. "Belldandy, I love you. Will you marry me?"

Belldandy reached out with a trembling hand to touch the box Keiichi held. She slowly picked it up, as if she had never seen such a thing before in Heaven or on Earth. Keiichi held his breath as Belldandy undid the wrappings, broke the seal, and opened the box to look at the ring nestled inside.

She touched the stone as if to assure herself that it was real, that she had not slipped into the Dreaming without noticing. That right here, right now, her wish was coming true.

"Oh, Keiichi..." she said softly, tears springing to her eyes; "Oh my Keiichi! Yes! Yes! YES! A million times yes!" She threw herself at him, knocking them both down to the ground as she hugged him and kept repeating, "Yes!" while crying.

Keiichi helped her up and took the box from her hands. He pulled the ring out and slowly put it upon her left ring finger. "I love you, Belldandy," he said as he slid the ring home.

"I love you too, my Keiichi-san," Belldandy replied, bringing her face up to his.

One again, by the light of the moon and over the bay, the two knew Heaven as they shared a kiss. They never noticed the glow in the bushes behind them, or the sound of two people trying to not cry themselves.

It was late when Keiichi and Belldandy returned to the temple. The two walked hand in hand, with Keiichi sometimes caressing the new ring Belldandy wore with his thumb as if to assure himself that she had accepted. The two mounted the temple steps, noticing that the lights were still on inside.

Keiichi groaned.

"What's wrong, Keiichi-san?" Belldandy asked in concern.

Keiichi pointed to the two silhouettes against the shoji. One was tall and slender and was next to a bottle of something. The other was shorter, had a cowlick, and sat next to a carton with a spoon in hand. "I think your sisters are waiting for us."

Belldandy chuckled, "They do like you, Keiichi-san."

Keiichi smiled, "I like them too, but I am afraid of how they will react to this."

The two entered the house, "We're home!" they called out.

"Welcome back," Urd and Skuld answered; their voices neutral.

Keiichi sighed; it was going to be a long night. He was removing his shoes when the phone rang. "I'll get it!" he said and picked up the receiver. "Hello, Morisato residence," he said.

"Morisato Keiichi-san?" a female voice answered.

"Speaking," Keiichi replied.

"Please hold for a moment," the voice continued. Then was a click and a deep male voice came on the line.

"It is I."

Keiichi almost dropped the phone, "Ka... Kami-sama!" he choked out. At Keiichi's startled exclamation, Urd and Skuld stuck their heads out of the living room and Belldandy touched Keiichi's arm in concern.

"Morisato Keiichi-san," said God, "We must talk."

Belldandy: He has asked the goddess to stay with him forever.  
Keiichi: But now he has to face the consequences of that wish.  
Belldandy: Next time on Ah! My Goddess: I Want You to Be With Me Forever, Ah! The Road That We Walk  
Keiichi: Eh? I have to meet her father!

Author's Squawk Box

You know, I had this idea for a small little story that might be three parts long covering asking, the engagement, and the marriage. 26 pages later for part one and realizing that I got a lot left to say in the other two parts... Oh boy. However, AMG is one of my favorite series, and has been so since I first got into anime and I want to tell this story right.

As to when the next parts will come out... I don't have a clue. Currently I am teaching full time and preparing for my own wedding, so to say I am slightly busy is an understatement. Of course all of this means I am also getting all sorts of inspiration for Keiichi and Belldandy's up coming fun times as well.

Thanks must be given to Sean Gaffney whose excellent series in the same vein inspired me to write AMG fanfiction oh so long ago. I must also acknowledge Mikimoto, which is indeed the best jeweler in Japan and makes beautiful engagement (And wedding) rings. They also have very helpful staff that will try their best to calm the nerves of a poor boy, especially when he is presented with the bill. BOB FM is indeed a real radio station back home and they do play Billy Idol's White Wedding a lot, something that currently amuses me to no end whenever I am stateside.

Finally, thanks to my own goddess who has shown me that people from two worlds can meet, fall in love, and have happiness. And while the road IS long, it is very worth it.

C&C is, as always, requested and appreciated.

Ja ne!


End file.
